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SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 24: Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Lotus walks back to his team garage during the final practice session prior to qualifying for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 24, 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
One of the most anticipated things for me when the 2012 season rolled around was the return of the Ice Man – perhaps one of the most interesting characters in present-day F1. Let’s just admit it: there haven’t really been many characters recently, barring of course Sebastian Vettel and his finger. For the most of it, the F1 racers of today are strait-laced, focused on the task at hand, engaged with the business of racing and winning.
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But Kimi Räikkönen? There can be no one like Kimi Räikkönen. He brings the sheen to F1, the moments that make us laugh till our sides hurt – even when we are at a crucial turning point in a race. He’s the racer who can make the best of them sweat, the playboy who truly lives the life, the prankster with a hidden sense of humour, a man who believes in monosyllables, and for saying it like it is. Like the time Martin Brundle asked him if he would get over missing a special F1 presentation by Pele. Pat came the reply, “I was having a shit.”
It isn’t just his swift one-liners that make the Ice Man a character we all love. It’s also this intense love affair he has with his car during a race, focused and determined. The Finn’s romance with speed started when he was 3 years old and soon turned into a passion. His debut in 2001 for Sauber came under a cloud of speculation. He had won seven out of 10 races at the Formula Renault UK Championship the previous year. It was enough to impress Peter Sauber who allowed him to test for the F1 team and then signed him on. Max Mosley, the then-FIA president was concerned. Kimi was inexperienced with only 23 races to his name. The Finn did manage to get his license, but only after Peter Sauber made a performance delivery promise. Kimi stunned nay-sayers by scoring a championship point in his debut race at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. He ended the year with 9 points and helped the team secure a 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship. The Ice Man had arrived. He scored his first podium finish the following year with McLaren, gathering up 4 podiums and 24 points, holding on to a 3rd place for his team at the Constructors’. But McLaren proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Kimi struggled through the five years he was with the team – his talent undisputed, but the Championship out of reach. The 2003 season ended with Michael Schumacher taking the crown of champion – a close finish if there ever was one. Kimi had narrowed the gap to 91 points, with Schumacher scoring 93 points to win the Drivers Championship. It was a tough season and the Ice Man proved his mettle: he may have had 3 retirements, but he also had 10 podium finishes to his name. It almost seemed like the Ice Man would give Ferrari and Michael Schumacher a run for their money.
AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 15: Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Lotus walks in the paddock during previews to the United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on November 15, 2012 in Austin, United States.
But it wasn’t to be. We were well into the 2004 season and the points gave away the whole story. Schumacher had collected 60 points to Kimi’s lonesome 1 championship point. As the season continued and McLaren brought out its new MP4-19B, Kimi’s chances picked up. However, the car’s troubles did not end, nor did his bad luck, whether it was electronic issues at Monza or a first-lap shunt in Japan. He ended the season 7th in the championship. Would his luck ever change?
It did, with Ferrari. Michael Schumacher was retiring and Ferrari signed on Kimi Räikkönen to take his place. The change came like a breath of fresh air for the Finn’s career. The tumultuous 2007 season began with a bang, as Kimi grabbed the pole position, the fastest lap and the win. It was an incredible start for a driver who had been struggling with form and his car. The year ended with Kimi being crowned the champion. It was long in coming, yet, it was shrouded in controversy. There was the very real possibility of a race reclassification. If it went through, the Ice Man would lose his crown. But the FIA confirmed Kimi’s championship win later in the year. The Ice Man however, was never able to replicate that win the following two years, scoring a 3rd in the Championship in 2008 and a dismal 6th in 2009, finally announcing his retirement.
A large part of me watched Kimi leave with great sadness. Here was a racer with verve and zest, who lived for racing and nothing else. His return in 2012 has been nothing short of a classic Kimi move. Right from complaining about the blue flags at the Australian Grand Prix, sending chocolate ice cream bars to the press at Sepang, grumpily telling his team to leave him alone at Abu Dhabi as he drove to a podium finish, and then of course, going off-track at the final race of the season in Brazil. In all this, he managed to weave his way into the championship, becoming a contender and then ending 3rd.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 04: Race winner Kimi Raikkonen (left) of Finland and Lotus talks on the podium with third placed Sebastian Vettel (right) of Germany and Red Bull Racing following the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on November 4, 2012 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
There is no denying that every driver who makes it to F1 comes there because he has one thing in abundance – talent. Only a handful of them go down in history as legends. But there are a few who make F1 more than just a motorsport, more than just about engines, tyres, championships, and glamour. They are the ones who shine through race after race, and make us love them, just by being who they are.
Perhaps Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it best. He told autosport.com, “I like Kimi. I think he’s good for F1, he’s a character and not afraid to be his own person, and I think that’s why he has an enormous following. I think he’s done a very good job this year. He’s come back, kept himself in the world championship until Abu Dhabi, has finished every single grand prix, raced well, and has been consistent. Formula 1 is, I think, a better place for having Kimi Räikkönen in it.”
And that’s what make Kimi special. He doesn’t pander to the media. Neither does he pander to the fans or his team. Sure, he is there to race. Everyone is. But he does it with an incredible combination of talent, panache and nonchalance. Really, no one can do it better than him.
Top 10 reasons why Kimi Räikkönen is a cool customer who oozes talent:
* The Ice Man was fast asleep 30 minutes before his debut race at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix
* The story goes that Kimi, still a teenager, was racing at Monaco when he was thrown on to the wrong side of the safety fence during a collision on the 1st lap. It didn’t bother him. Instead, he continued driving till there was no more road left to drive on. Then, he picked up his kart, got it back on track and continued racing. He finished 3rd.
* Right before his 2007 debut for Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen entered and won a snowmobile competition in Finland, something most racers would think twice of doing before the start of a season. He raced under the name James Hunt. He won the Australian Grand Prix a week later.
* In 2009, while with Ferrari, he left the Paddock in splits. The drivers and the teams were huddled in groups, wet and waiting for the race re-start. Kimi Räikkönen stepped out for a chocolate ice cream and Coke.
* Michael Schumacher retired and the Finn joined Ferrari and became one of the highest paid drivers in F1 at that time. His base salary was reportedly worth $51 million annually.
* When asked what he loved about F1, Kimi replied: “Driving is the only thing I love about F1”.
* We all love the helmets the racers wear. They mean something special. But not Kimi. How important is it for you, a journalist asked him. “It protects my head,” the Finn replied. And then. “Do you have any special rituals concerning your helmet like many have?” “I wipe it so that I can see better,” Kimi said.
* He struggled through the 2009 season and decided to call it a day – temporarily. But then, returned in 2012 to five podiums which include 3 at the 2nd place. Then, in Abu Dhabi, he won, ending the season at 3rd in the championship standings.
* The classic Kimi one-liner. It was the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the Finn was in the lead. His engineer radioed how Alonso was doing behind him, adding that he would keep Kimi updated on the Ferrari. The Finn snapped back, “Just leave me alone, I know what I am doing.” Later in November, the Finn sent 500 t-shirts carrying that slogan to the Lotus factory!
* The 2012 season ended with Kimi Räikkönen in the 3rd spot. But, he told autosport,com, “I am here to try to win, and if I finish third or fourth, it doesn’t matter. If you ask someone after five years in F1 and who was second or third, it would be the same…It makes no different. It looks maybe better on paper, but in reality, it doesn’t mean anything.”
